There is an old song from the 60's that says "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of." Encouragement is a very important component of how we can show love to others that is often missing in our every day lives.
Greetings,
There is an old song from the 60's that says "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of." Encouragement is a very important component of how we can show love to others that is often missing in our every day lives.
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Greetings, I was honored recently when Jen Viola asked to interview me for her podcast! I hope you will take time to subscribe to her podcast. You can find her on ITunes or the link below. It is a great resource for counselors and teachers. Jen is delightful and shares her dedication for teaching with us. I love how she encourages us in her closing to "Go change someone's life today" http://memoirsofaclassroom.libsyn.com/podcast 'Greetings, I began my counseling career as a Substance Abuse Counselor for the Army. I worked with soldiers who were referred to our office if alcohol use was interfering with their duties. I ran groups as well as weekly individual sessions. I also ran groups for teenagers who were caught on base drinking/drugging. It is here that I learned my first and most important lesson about confidentiality. Greetings, As your school years begins to wind down it is a good time to stop and reflect on your personal, professional growth as a counselor. Many school districts require personal goals as part of the Evaluation Process, often called SMART Goals. Personally, I never found the Performance Evaluation process helpful for my own personal growth. Greetings, Meet Josh. If you talked to his teachers they would say he was a great kid but always off task, talking non stop to his classmates usually about the weather, and rarely completes any written assignment. His friends would say he knows a lot about only one topic, weather, but he is fun to be with, when he isn't talking about it. His parents are delighted with Josh and love his enthusiasm. They can see how teachers are frustrated but don't understand why the teachers can't see his positive qualities. Parent conferences are frustrating for both teachers and parents. If you ask Josh how he feels about school he'll tell you he likes his friends but thinks the teacher doesn't like him and wishes he could just study what he wants. Josh is in 2nd grade and is already a discouraged learner with an affinity for weather. Greetings, Flashback: Graduate school. My first one to one session with a 2nd grade girl named Jennifer. As part of my practicum, each of six sessions were to be audio taped for the professor and I was very nervous. My first task was to establish rapport and get to know her. As I began to chat with her she was somewhat shy but responded to my questions. She gave me eye contact and I carefully paraphrased and reflected her feelings. Somewhere in the middle of the session I called her Jacquelyn. Heartbroken, she stopped, lowered her eyes and said, "My name is Jennifer." In one split second I lost her. Greetings, In 2000 I learned of a mother who would accept no excuses for her children when it came to their education. This single mother worked two jobs as a housekeeper. She had not learned to read because she had to quit school in 3rd grade. As an African American and being one of twenty seven children, she knew the effects of hardship, poverty, and racism. yet she was not bitter. This mother knew the only way out for her children was through education. When one of her sons was in 5th grade he brought home all failing grades on his report card. He was known as the dumbest kid in the class! Greetings, At each 6th grade commencement ceremony a flood of emotions would often move me to the years gone by as the students' names were called. Images would flash before me of our times together. Months before the end of the school year I would begin writing personal letters to each 6th grade student as they prepared to leave elementary school. The letterhead was something I made from pictures of them from kindergarten through 6th grade. Teachers and parents asked me why I would take so much time to write these letters? Greetings, "Help me!" a second grade teacher grabs the counselor after school in total frustration, "I can't seem to get Matt to stay on task without my sitting right by his side the entire time. He won't start the classwork. He just sits there in a daze. He might pick up his pencil to write and 5 seconds later, 5 minutes later, 10 minutes later nothing is written. Half the time he tries to disturb others at this table group by talking or humming. He is missing so much and he isn't learning anything. I am afraid he is falling way behind the others just because he can't stay on task. At the parent conference they were just as frustrated at home getting homework done." Greetings, We all know this feeling. We have several guidance lessons scheduled, teachers grabbing us in the hallways to talk about students. There are several messages from parents who want conferences because report cards just came home. There are five students waiting to talk to you about the conflict that just occurred on the bus and the principal just asked you to cover lunch duty. You wanted to be a counselor to help students because your heart is big and you know that you can make a positive impact. If you only had time to see them! Conflict is everywhere and in schools it is one of the most common reasons for referrals from students. Developing a comprehensive conflict resolution program will save a counselor hours of counseling time. Not only will the teachers, parents, and students have a common vocabulary and understanding about conflict, as a counselor you provide a consistent foundation and structure to build upon. Learning about conflict and conflict resolution skills are gifts we as counselors give our students (teachers, parents) that can be used for a lifetime. Greetings, The role of a school counselor changed over my 20 plus years. I almost decided not to do this web site fearing my resources were outdated or old school. Then I began thinking about the foundation or rather what I believe the "soul" of a school counselor is. I want to share that with you now. Greetings, There is an old joke shared among teachers..... A mother comes in trying to lure her child out of bed on the first day back to school. The mother shares all the good things that can happen in school but her child still won’t get out of bed. Her child talks about her fear that no one will like her and that the work will be too hard. The mom keeps on encouraging saying how the teacher will like her and then her child says, “But mom, you don't understand. I am the teacher !" After 37 years in education, with the last 25 years as an elementary school counselor, I retired and moved to Florida. Although I am thoroughly enjoying my many new adventures, I am also sad to put my life's work to rest. Thus, my web site and blog. Like a coach I will share my knowledge, lessons, topics with you with the goal of enhancing your performance. Whether you are a brand new counselor or veteran there will be something for you. |
JeanetteI want to share my classroom guidance lessons with you, which provide practical, life long skills and strategies to assist students in their growth and development. Archives
November 2016
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